27 May African countries including Ghana call on the CSA for collaboration and support

Three nations including Ghana have called upon the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) to help them develop their cybersecurity defences in their countries. The other two nations were Mozambique and Sierra Leone.

The courtesy calls were led by senior officials of the cyber security institutions of these countries on the side-lines of the Africa Union (AU) – Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) Africa Cyber Experts Kick-Off Meeting in March 2022 in Accra and as part of improving bilateral relations with Ghana.

Within the past five years, Ghana has taken progressive steps towards the development of cyber security in the country. This progress includes the ratification of international treaties like the Convention on Cybercrime also known as the Budapest Convention and the African Union Convention on Cyber Security & Personal Data Protection also known as the Malabo convention.

Ghana has also ensured the institutionalisation of cyber security via the adoption of the ECOWAS’ Regional Cyber security Cybercrime Strategy and the Regional Critical Infrastructure (CII) Protection Policy to strengthen Ghana’s international response in fighting cybercrime and to improve on cybersecurity.

As well as recognising these and other initiatives, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) rated Ghana’s Cyber security development at 86.69% in its 2020 Global Cyber security Index (GCI). This was major progress from previous ratings in 2017 which stood at 32.6%. The ratings placed Ghana 3rd on the African continent and 43rd globally; a development that has positioned Ghana as a leader in cyber security on the continent, and hence a model for other African countries to learn from.